Winter 5% Challenge: trigger foods/situations
Friday, December 02, 2011
I'm an emotional eater, meaning (for me) that I tend to eat when I'm bored, anxious, lonely or upset. No matter how good my intentions, I find it extremely difficult to change my eating habits when I get bored or the day seems to somehow go awry.
I have a love/hate relationship with sweet foods such as ice cream and salty foods such as chips. I believe I've been doing really well with ice cream. I tend to buy the single serving containers or boxes of individually wrapped treats. I think this has helped me because once I reach the bottom of the container or finish the treat, I know I've consumed my limit for the day. However, chips are a different story. I've been doing better but some days are more challenging than others. Typically, I've learned not to purchase any chips because I can't eat something that isn't in the house. On rare occasions I do buy a bag of chips. Once I buy them, it almost seems like I've doomed myself because once I start eating them, I can't seem to stop myself.
I feel like I'm getting better at recognizing my trigger foods and dealing with the ways I handle the situation surrounding my emotional eating episodes. I've noticed I have significantly fewer cravings for junk food and feel better when I indulge less frequently. However, I still consume these foods on occasion and don't feel quite as guilty when I indulge since I've been purchasing these items in single serve portions.